Presidents Academy Testimonials
“Coming in here, I felt kind of lost … being elected president is daunting. So the opportunity I had to consult with the other presidents, and to meet my support system face-to-face has been awesome. Being here has helped me see that I’m really qualified for this position, and makes me feel more comfortable with the task I have ahead.”
Lena Kelly
Psi Chapter, Washington University
“I was really nervous about coming back from break and then all of a sudden being thrown into being president. And having this weekend—and especially for a lot of girls who said that they weren’t even transitioned—be an actual transition into presidency, I think it’s absolutely essential, and it’s going to help me so much during my presidency. Alumnae who have given to the Foundation for this Presidents Academy have really contributed to the success of every chapter that’s participated.”
Morgan Guinnip
Zeta Chapter, New York University
“I'm realizing that a lot of the leadership qualities I’ve learned this weekend, I’m going to be able to take with me into my internships and my jobs and … the skills that I’m going to be building this year as president are things that are going to help me the rest of my life.”
Ilana Fromm
Sigma Chapter, University of Wisconsin
“Learning about all the different teams and specialists brought out the importance of volunteering to me. Before this weekend, I knew about the volunteers, but I never really utilized them as much as I will in the future, because they were just an email address. But now, seeing them face-to-face, in person, it makes it more real. They’re real people.”
Tami Joseph
Beta Zeta Chapter, University of Central Florida
“Not only were we taught how to run chapter meetings, and how to confront people, but we were also taught to be leaders in our community. Being fair towards other people, being motivated, helping others stay motivated, being inspired, helping others to stay inspired … that’s not something you can typically learn in a classroom.”
Shakala Alvaranga
Beta Alpha Chapter, Emerson College
“This has been such a great opportunity. I feel like I can start my presidency with great leadership skills, and I don’t feel like I’m blind, or going into this not knowing what I need to do and how to fix it … I’m really lucky to have come here and experienced all of this right at the beginning of my presidency.”
Sam Kane
Mu Chapter, University of Illinois
“I’m just very thankful that I got to come here this weekend, because I know that it’s really going to help me a lot in my presidency, and it really taught me so many effective ways to be a leader. It’s already taught me how to manage conflict well, and I’m just really excited for what’s ahead.”
Becky Rosen
Phi Phi Chapter, SUNY-New Paltz
“This experience is once-in-a-lifetime—it’s amazing. It’s so enlightening. I can’t imagine going into my presidency without having all of this training. I’m so grateful that I got to have this experience. I feel like I’m just learning so much, and I’m so excited to go back home to my chapter and implement all that I’m learning.”
Sami Ginzberg
Alpha Xi Chapter, University of Connecticut
“There are so many people here who want the same things for themselves and their sisters. You can never really experience that until you’re actually here at something like this. I’m here with 50 other presidents that have the same goals as me, and the same values, and until you’re in a room with them, you’d never know what it feels like.”
Rachel Zeiger
Phi Chi Chapter, University of Delaware
“As president you feel like you have to be strong, you have to be good at everything … and Presidents Academy is a place where you can be vulnerable. You can talk about your weaknesses, you can be weak in front of these girls, and they help you become strong.”
Stephanie Herrmann
Alpha Chi Chapter, Boston University